Are New Jeeps Really Overpriced?

I have a Jeep. Both of my parents have Jeeps. My sister has a Jeep. My girlfriend and every one of her family members has a Jeep.

Even so, I’ll be the first to say that Jeep, and more so Stellantis, has completely gone off course from what the Jeep brand represents: freedom, capability, utilitarianism.

Like nearly every other car brand, Jeep is moving in the direction of overpriced, oversized, all-electric monsters the size of buildings that will lose half its value the moment you drive off the lot and need a battery replacement after 5 years.

There’s a reason that Jeep vehicles from 20 years ago like the Wrangler TJ and the Cherokee XJ have solid resale value. It’s the simplicity and reliability - a quintessential Jeep with no gimmicks.

A new Jeep Wrangler two-door is nearly a foot longer and half a foot wider than a TJ. Comparing the Cherokee XJ to a new Cherokee is like comparing apples to oranges. The only similarity is the name. 

Besides the electric vehicles that Jeep is wasting its money on, their other staple vehicles such as the grand cherokee and wrangler aren’t actually that far off in price from their early 2000’s ancestors.

For example, a 2005 Jeep Wrangler X like the one I have was $20,380 new, which is about $30,800 in today's money. That’s right at what a base or almost base new two-door Wrangler costs today, but instead of manual windows and an underpowered engine you get electric windows, a touch screen, a decent V6 with plenty of power, and cruise control. 

Plus, the Grand Cherokee is continuing to be one of the most attractive vehicles out on the road. Since the first generation it has been a good looking SUV. The 4th generation might be the best SUV design ever, and the new generation does a good job of modernizing the 4th generation.

However, the annoying thing about the American car market is that it thinks Americans want hyper luxurious, overcomputerized, oversized vehicles that cost an average person’s yearly salary. And they’re right! Americans have no problem taking out a $40k loan at 10% interest for 72 months to buy a car with a heated steering wheel and massaging seats. 

But not everyone.

What Jeep - and the American car industry as a whole - is not understanding is that there are hundreds of thousands of people who want utilitarian, simple, capable, manual everything SUVs and trucks that don’t offer all the luxuries. 

And don’t act like it isn’t possible! The new Slate EV is bare bones and starts in the mid 20’s. There are examples of this. But because of regulations, most of them don’t make it to the US.